Kristoff St. John Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Hospital Where Son Died

Kristoff St. John, star of “The Young and the Restless,” is suing the mental health facility where his son Julian committed suicide last November, claiming the hospital was negligent in its supervision of his son.

24-year-old Julian killed himself while getting treatment at La Casa Mental Health Hospital in Long Beach. He was found dead in a bathroom with a plastic bag over his head. Three weeks prior to his death, Julian attempted to asphyxiate himself with a trash bag from his room.

In the wrongful death suit, Kristoff says after that failed attempt the hospital never removed the trash bags from his room. The suit claims staffers were supposed to check on Julian every 15 minutes because he was a high suicide risk, but records show they were falsifying records by logging welfare checks before they even happened. For instance, Julian was pronounced dead at 1:44 PM, but nurses had already logged 6 welfare checks between 2 PM and 3:15 PM.

Kristoff feels if the staff had “acted with even the slighted regard for Julian’s safety, he would still be alive today.”

Julian was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 18. In a 2013 profile on Julian’s art, the Huffington Post noted: “Julian knows what it is like to feel lonely, off-kilter and claustrophobic… He has endured bouts of severe depression since he was a child.”

Shortly after Julian’s death, his mother Mia posted the following statement on Sqor Sports, a social media website for athletes.

“Our son was the light of our lives, an artist with a beautiful mind and spirit.” Mia, a boxer, wrote. “He fought long and hard against an illness for which there is no cure.”

“Unfortunately, the pain became too great for him and I dare not say he lost the battle – he simply chose to set himself free. My fight for mental health will continue. They may not find a cure in my lifetime, but we can try and prevent the loss of another beautiful soul.”

As responsible and loving parents, when our child(ren) are suffering from any kind of illness, we do all we can to help them. In the case of the St John’s family, their son was suffering from mental illness issues from a very young age. They dealt with this as best they knew how. Even as an adult and still suffering they entered him into a facility where they believe he would get the help he needed. They got him expert, professional, and psychological help. This clinic/institution failed him, knowing he was under a “suicide watch”. I believe when someone wants to take his own life, I don’t think there is anything anyone can do, they will find a way to end their misery even though I don’t agree with suicide. This is a tough situation for any parent and I pray they find peace.